Monday, 14 May 2007

Perodua Viva

Hey! The car was launched on 10th May 2007. I was quite excited to see the specification of the car. Certainly the interior and the exterior of the car have improved through these few years. It has ABS, dual SRS airbag, central locking, alarm, immobiliser, cup holders, air-cond, cd player and DVVT. I was quite impressed with the fuel consumption of the car.

However, on looking at the engine of the car, it seems to me that it shares the same engine platform as the Kelisa. Oh no... The Kelisa uses the EJ-VE engine and it is the same as Viva! What?! I thought that there should be a new engine! Well, DVVT is nothing spetacular anymore. It was first used in the Perodua Kembara. The problem with Kembara is that the engine is too course. It has high rev and it is not fuel efficient at all. I have tried on the Kembara and it is not a pleasant drive. I would always need to rev the SUV before it can move especially uphill.

No doubt that the price of the Viva is around RM 40000 for a premium 1 litre Viva. It is comparatively better value for Kancil owners who wants to upgrade to a better car. Beware! Better get the 1 litre engine or else you would not have power steering at all! Just imagine driving a new car without power steering. That is some how difficult, isn't it?

Overall, the Viva is much better value for money than the Kelisa. For existing Kelisa owners, don't look down at yourself. The Viva is not much better than the Kelisa itself. I would not consider buying the Viva if I do have a Kelisa. One simple reason, the Viva has the same engine as the Kelisa. Hum... Not for me. Stick with the Kelisa my friend. Although it would cost around £6000 over here, I would think that for current Kelisa owners who want to upgrade their car, stick on with Myvi. The engine of the Myvi is so much smoother than the Kelisa. It has better torque and faster response. It has 16 valves and with DOHC and DVVT. Please correct me if I am wrong. Have fun!